can U give me a hand ?

[Walkiry]

As a foreigner whose first language is not English, I will give you a bit of advice:

It is generally not very useful to just post in a board asking for people to help you improve your English. I should know, that alone didn't help me much.

What is much much better is to actually contribute to the discussions that are going on on the board.

So, take the good advice you have been given in this thread, and try to apply it next time you see an interesting discussion going on. Say what you think about the topic, exchange opinions with other people and, in doing so, you'll improve your English (just by trying to make as good posts as you can, and most likely people will politely point out glaring mistakes you make, since now we know you're a foreigner and trying to improve).

Enjoy.

[ICanChangTheWorLd]

As a foreigner whose first language is not English, I will give you a bit of advice:

It is generally not very useful to just post in a board asking for people to help you improve your English. I should know, that alone didn't help me much.

What is much much better is to actually contribute to the discussions that are going on on the board.

So, take the good advice you have been given in this thread, and try to apply it next time you see an interesting discussion going on. Say what you think about the topic, exchange opinions with other people and, in doing so, you'll improve your English (just by trying to make as good posts as you can, and most likely people will politely point out glaring mistakes you make, since now we know you're a foreigner and trying to improve).

Enjoy.
[right][snapback]68691[/snapback][/right]

thank for Ur information

[Ashock]

You might also try to get an American/English movie in English, that you have already seen in Chinese. That way, by knowing what is generally going on, you might be able to catch some words/phrases here and there and this might at least give you a start.



-A

[ICanChangTheWorLd]

yes ! I am trying to do this. but it is hard for me to understand what they say..
I think I need to chat online . and talk with they stead of tyoeing words.

[Alram]

There's no egg in eggplant nor
ham in hamburger; neither apple
nor pine in pineapple.

English muffins weren't invented
in England or French fries in
France. Sweetmeats are candies
while sweetbreads, which aren't
sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But
if we explore its paradoxes, we
find that quicksand can work
slowly, boxing rings are square,
and a guinea pig is neither from
Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but
fingers don't fing, grocers don't
groce and hammers don't ham ? If
the plural of tooth is teeth, why
isn't the plural of booth, beeth ?
One goose, two geese. So one
moose, two meese? One index,
two indices.

If a vegetarian eats vegetables,
what does a humanitarian eat ?
Sometimes I think all the English
speakers should be committed to
an asylum for the verbally insane.
In what other language do people recite
at a play and play at a recital ?
Ship by truck and send cargo by
ship ? Have noses that run and feet
that smell ? Park on driveways and
drive on parkways ?

How can a slim chance and a fat
chance be the same, while a wise
man and a wise guy are opposites ?
How can overlook and oversee be
opposites, while quite a lot and
quite a few are alike ? How can the
weather be hot as hell on one day
and cold as hell another ?

You have to marvel at the unique
lunacy of a language in which your
house can burn up as it burns
down, in which you fill in a form
by filling it out, and in which an
alarm clock goes off by going on.

People, not computers invented
English, and it reflects the
creativity of the human race
(which, of course, is not a race at
all).

That is why, when the stars are
out, they are visible, but when the
lights are out, they are invisible.
And why, when I wind up my watch,
I start it, but when I wind up this
essay, I end it !

[Occhidiangela]

yes ! I am trying to do this. but it is hard for me to understand what they say..
I think I need to chat online .  and talk with they stead of tyoeing words.
[right][snapback]68728[/snapback][/right]

You never answered my question in the other thread, as far as I can tell.

How old are you? How old you are has an impact on my suggestions for how to work step by step to better English.

So: How old are you? What is your age? How many years have you been alive?

Occhi

[jahcs]

Thanks Alram, that was spectacular. :w00t:

[whyBish]

Thanks Alram, that was spectacular. :w00t:
[right][snapback]68773[/snapback][/right]

I've seen it before, but it's not much use to someone learning the language, you would need to know a lot about English before you could appreciate that.

[eppie]

can U give me a hand to improve my English&dutsh....both Oral english/dutsh and english/geman phrases...
Thanx!!
tell me some words that U use frequently in daily life..
thanX!!
my yahoo messager:diablo_john11...

thanX U!!
[right][snapback]68500[/snapback][/right]

First, why do you want to learn, english, dutch, german?. Maybe it is better to learn them one at a time.
And what about teachers or books?. It is true you can learn languages from watching television, but the basis must be a good language course.

Knowing a few sentences by heart doesnot mean you speak the language so if you really want to learn, find a textbook. Even on internet there are some nice courses (for free).

[ICanChangTheWorLd]

for Ur imformation ,Mr eppie

First, why do you want to learn, english, dutch, german?. Maybe it is better to learn them one at a time.
And what about ?. It is true you can learn languages from watching television, but the basis must be a good language course.

Knowing a few sentences by heart doesnot mean you speak the language so if you really want to learn, find a textbook. Even on internet there are some nice courses (for free).
[right][snapback]68816[/snapback][/right]

yes. maybe you are right , but why, why not learn so many
languages together?
and that is ture , right now I do not have any forign language course for me.
the only books or teacher for me is all about english, and english is not turly english , that is chinglish, and I am sure I can learn 3 or more forign language
together.

[kandrathe]

for Ur imformation ,Mr eppie
yes. maybe you are right , but why, why not learn so many
languages together?
and that is ture , right now I do not have any forign language course for me.
the only books or teacher for me is all about english, and english is not turly english , that is chinglish, and I am sure I can learn 3 or more forign language
together.
[right][snapback]71132[/snapback][/right]

Why not multiple lanuages?

Above, Rihhhart posted;

Quick tips to make your english more legible:


- There is always a space after and not before commas (,), periods (.), exclamation marks (!), and question marks (?)

- ,, is improper. There is no situation that more than one comma would be necessary.

- .. is improper. Use one period. The exception is if you want to imply an extended pause in speech. However, that would be three periods, not two.

- Periods and commas are not interchangeable. Commas seperate elements and ideas within a sentence and indicate short delays in the reading. Periods seperate sentences and indicate longer delays.

- Multiple question marks and exclamation points are considered very rude. Do not use them.

- "uncomplete" is a word, but a very clunky one. "Incomplete" would be a better choice. Note: the prefixes "in-" and "un-" are usually not interchangeable. They mean the same thing, but are derived from different root languages.

I second kandrathe's sentiment. If you're serious about learning a language, especially one as difficult as english, I suggest you get help from a teacher of some kind.

Which you seem to have ignored in this subsequent post.

Ur is a ancient Babylonian city in Asia Minor. I think you were looking for the word "your".

Other than that, sentences begin with a capitalized word, and generally end with a puncuation mark (e.g. comma, period, question mark ).

If you are the quick learner you claim to be, you will be sure to take these tips to heart and exhibit them in your next post.

[ShadowHM]

If you are the quick learner you claim to be, you will be sure to take these tips to heart and exhibit them in your next post.
[right][snapback]71140[/snapback][/right]

To ICanChangTheWorLd:

To add to kandrathe's comments, I suggest you think about what you are trying to accomplish here. You have asked the Lurkers to aid you in improving your English and Dutch. The responses you have received suggest that the Lurkers, in general, are willing to help with English. There have been a number of specific suggestions made about better spelling and grammar, in particular.

If you really do want to improve, you will take kandrathe's advice. After all, even an unpaid tutor has the right to expect that the student will apply himself to what is being taught.

[whyBish]

您好,
我上年开始学了三个语言, 不太难. 却我今年只学了第二年中文. 我希望你找到帮助. 如果你找不到英语帮助就可以写我.
再见,
艾德

[jahcs]

Thank goodness for Babel Fish.

:)

[Occhidiangela]

Ur is a ancient Babylonian city in Asia Minor.  I think you were looking for the word "your". 

[right][snapback]71140[/snapback][/right]

Sweet. Sumerian, and I think Mesopotamia/Sumer. For some reason, I always thought of Asia Minor as Turkey, but now that you bring it up, the whole of the Levant and the Western extremis of the Silk Road certainly qualify.

Would being in Asia Minor make Israelis and Arabs little Asians? :whistling:

Occhi

[Jim]

Hi,

Hope this helps you :D

Of the thousands of questions submitted to ASK GRAMMAR, these are the issues raised most often. Clicking on the phrases and questions below will take you to a section of the GUIDE TO GRAMMAR AND WRITING that should answer that question. You might also try the INDEX or go through the listing of questions for each of the GRAMMARLOGS. There is also a search engine.

GUIDE TO GRAMMAR AND WRITING

Click the enter button to take the Capital Community College,
Northeast Magazine, Grammar Quotient Challenge Quiz !!!

ENTER BUTTON

[Jester]

Nit to Kandrathe:

One quick google...

Asia Minor: A peninsula of western Asia between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It is generally coterminous with Asian Turkey and is usually considered synonymous with Anatolia.

Or, from Wikipedia

Anatolia (Greek: ανατολή anatolē or anatolí, "rising of the sun" or "East"; compare "Orient" and "Levant", by popular etymology Turkish Anadolu to ana "mother" and dolu "filled"), also called by the Latin name of Asia Minor, is a region of Southwest Asia which corresponds today to the Asian portion of Turkey.

So... yeah. Asia Minor *is* Turkey, and does not include the Levant or Mesopotamia. Not that this really deflects the thrust of Kandrathe's criticism, but his geographical terminology wasn't quite correct.

Jester

[Occhidiangela]

Nit to Kandrathe:

One quick google...

Asia Minor: A peninsula of western Asia between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It is generally coterminous with Asian Turkey and is usually considered synonymous with Anatolia.

Or, from Wikipedia

Anatolia (Greek: ανατολή anatolē or anatolí, "rising of the sun" or "East"; compare "Orient" and "Levant", by popular etymology Turkish Anadolu to ana "mother" and dolu "filled"), also called by the Latin name of Asia Minor, is a region of Southwest Asia which corresponds today to the Asian portion of Turkey.

So... yeah. Asia Minor *is* Turkey, and does not include the Levant or Mesopotamia. Not that this really deflects the thrust of Kandrathe's criticism, but his geographical terminology wasn't quite correct.

Jester
[right][snapback]71238[/snapback][/right]

Thanks. As I did not bother to look it up, I appreciate your taking the effort. :D A Guinness for you.

Occhi

[whyBish]

Thanks.  As I did not bother to look it up, I appreciate your taking the effort.  :D  A Guinness for you.

Occhi
[right][snapback]71249[/snapback][/right]

If every lazy person I met gave me a Guiness...
I'd be a retired liquor store owner :P

[whyBish]

Thank goodness for Babel Fish.

:)
[right][snapback]71181[/snapback][/right]

The translation is ... weak ... but at least it's kind of like a strange form of poetry...